Lay plate for electric cable



July 17, 1962 T. MERRITT LAY PLATE FOR ELECTRIC CABLE Filed Oct. 4, 1960r 0 t n e U n I TJJRRITT Attorney ilnited states This invention relatesto improvements in or relating to methods of manufacture of electriccable and more particularly to submarine telephone cable.

In the manufacture of telephone cable of the multiconductor variety, thelead sheathed cable is subjected to a process in which a number ofstrands of, for example, jute are laid helically side by side around thecable for the Whole of its length. These strands provide a bedding forand over which a hessian tape is lapped helically prior to armouring thecable with a number of strands of galvanized wire, the latter mentionedstrands being laid helically side by side in a similar fashion to theaforementioned jute strands.

The roves of juteare carried on a series of pegs which are equispaced ona rotating annular plate which constitutes a carriage and through thecenter of which the cable passes in its passage between a supply drumand a take-up drum from and onto which respectively, the cable isunreeled and re-reeled. The helix angle of the strands of jute isdetermined by the speed at which the carriage rotates with respect tothe throughput rate of the cable between reels.

In many armouring machines, the ends of the strands of jute are takendirectly from their respective roves onto the cable and thereafterallowed to seat onto the cable during the laying process withoutguidance. However, in order that the required side by side closeness oflay of the strands may be consistently maintained, a means is providedby which the strands of jute are maintained in equispaced closerelationship one to another around the cable. This means is commonlytermed a lay-plate and derives its name from its action in assisting tomaintain the lay of the strands with respect to one and another aroundthe cable. A common type of lay-plate consists of an annular platehaving a center hole through which the cable passes, andf a series ofrelatively small equipspaced holes disposed concentrically around thecentral hole through each of the small holes a strand of jute passes inits passage from its respective rove on the carriage to the cable onwhich it is being layed. The lay-plate is either carried by and drivenin synchronism with the carriage, or driven in synchronism with thecarriage by separate driving means.

It will be readily understood that in manufacturing a large variety ofmulti-conductor cables, the holdings of such lay-plates is considerableand represents a high capital outlay since the number of strandsrequired for one particular cable may difier widely from the numberrequired for a different cable.

In many cases a lay-plate having a large number of holes may be suitablefor one particular cable and for a range of cables requiring numbers ofstrands which are sub-multiples of holes in the plate. However there aremany occasions where it is required to either add or remove a strandafter initial setting up to satisfy the requirements laid down forcloseness of lay of the strands. In such cases it is not always possibleto use, what may be considered more or less as a universal plate becausethe spacing between at least two strands will be unequal to the spacingbetween one and another of the other strands. Any attempt to lay thestrands on the cables under the last mentioned conditions generallyresults in an uneven lay with possible gaps between some of the strands.

It is the object of the present invention to reduce the T atent r3,044,244 Patented July 17, 1962 holdings of lay-plates by providing onewhich is readily and easily adaptable to cater to a given number ofstrands over a relatively large range of numbers.

According to one aspect of the present invention therefore there isprovided a lay-plate assembly comprising inner and outer rotatablemembers and a plurality of strand carriers, said strand carriers beingadjustably.

the lay-plate assembly shown in FIG. 2.

Referring now to FIG. 1, an inner rotatable member 1 is constituted byan annular metal plate which has four holes 2 therethrough and which areequispaced one with respect to another. These holes are utilized to boltthe rotatable member 1 concentrically and directly onto a jute rovecarriage or to a separate driving means so that it will rotate insynchronism and concentrically with the carriage. An outer rotatablemember 3 is also constituted by an annular metal plate which has achamfer 3 cut at 45 to the outer periphery. The thickness of therotatable members are substantially the same and the outer and innerdiameters of the inner and outer rotatable members respectively are suchthat when the former is, at a later time, assembled to the latter anannular space exists between them. A strand carrier 5 comprises a forkedportion 6 and a guide lug 7 extending from one side thereof, the guidelug 7 having a tapped hole 8 extending thereinto. A number of suchstrand carriers are utilized in the lay-plate assembly and each has astrand guide 9 rigidly fitted thereto by Way of the forked portion 6 asshown in 'FIGS. 2 and 3. The strand guides 9 may be made of metal or aceramic material (which is easily replaceable in the event of breakageor wear) and which are cylindrical in form having a tubular body andconcentric circular end checks, and with a longitudinal slot 10extending from the outer peripheries of the body and end checks into thecentral hole 11 therethrough of a width suitable to cater to a range ofstrands, and by which means the strand is located in the hole. For thepurpose of this invention a strand may be defined as a textile thread ormetal wire made up of a single filament or a number of filaments. If,for example, it is desired to lay twenty-four jute strands helicallyaround a cable side-by-side, twenty-four strand carriers, each with astrand guide rigidly fitted thereto, are assembled to the inner andouter rotatable members 1 and 3 respectively. Three such carriers areshown assembled to the rotatable members 1 and 3 in FIG. 2. For the sakeof simplicity the other twenty-one have been omitted. The outerrotatable member 3 is disposed concentrically around the inner rotatablemember 1 and the requisite number of strand carriers are assembled sothat their extending guide lugs 7 are disposed within the annular space12 between the rotatable members in equispaced relationship. The methodof assembly is shown in more detail in FIG. 3. The strand carriers 5 andinner and outer rotatable members 1 and 3 are held in rigid relationshipto each other by a cap headed screw 13 which extends through washers 14in to the tapped holes in the guide lugs 7 in each of the strandcarriers 5 incorporated in the assembly. The length-s ot the lugs are alittle less than the widths of the inner and outer rotatable members andthus when the screws 13 are tightened the rotatable members are lightlygripped on their sides by the adjacent side faces of the strand carrierson one side and the adjacent side faces of the washers 14 on the otherside. The thicknesses of the guide lug 7 disposed withinthe annularspaces between rotatable members 1 and 3 are such that the outerrotatable member is held in concentric relationship to the innerrotatable member. In order to facilitate the spacing and assembly ofdiiferent numbers of strand carriers, reference markings, such as 15,may be engraved or otherwise marked on the outer periphery of the outerrotatable member, or on one side of the inner rotatable memberand'suitably coded by numeralsor. letters to indicate thepositions'of'the strand carriers 5 for a particular number of carriers.7

In setting up the armouring machine for operation, the ends of thestrands, from the rove of jute are taken into the holes of the strandguides 9 of their respective carriers 5 by way of the slots 10,'afterwhich they are affixed to the cable in aiconvenient manner before thelaying operation commences.

The lay-plate described herein may well be utilized with materials otherthan jute, for example, it may be used 1. A lay-plate assemblycomprising inner and outerrotatable members having an annular spacetherebetween 4 and a plurality of strand carriers, said strand carriersbeing adjustably positioned around said rotatable members in saidannular space and being adapted to maintain said rotatable members infixed concentric relationship one to another. V

2. A lay-plate assembly comprising an annular inner rotatable member, anannular outer rotatable member and a plurality of strand carriers eachof which has a guide lug extending from one side thereof, a strand guidesupportedby each strand carrier, the said inner rotatable member beingmaintained in fixed and concentric relationship with said outerrotatable member by said strand carriers disposed on one side of saidrotatable members and by fixing means extending from the other side intothe guide lugs which are disposed within an annular space between saidrotatable members.

3. A lay-plate as claimed in claim 2 in which each rand carriercomprises a forked portion and a strand guide supported in said forkedportion.

4. A lay-plate assembly as claimed in claim 3 in which said strandguides each comprise a tubular body and concentric circular end checkshaving an axial hole through said tubular body and a radial slotextending into said axial hole along its length from exterior peripheralsurfaces of said end checks, said tubular body and said end checks beingadapted to engage said forked portion.

5. A 1ay-plate assembly as claimed in claim 4 in which said strandguides are of a ceramic material.

1,042,684 Germany Nov. 6, 1958 Brainard Feb. 2-8, 1888

